Snider rifles in Nepal - Archivingindustry.com

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SEVENTH REVISION
T H E SN ID ER R IF L E
Snider rifles in Nepal
Imports, adaptations and copies of British service patterns,
from c. 1869 until c. 1887
The failure of the Sharps in Nepalese service was followed by the introduction
of Snider breech-loaders. Designed and patented by Jacob Snider, who gave
his domicile as the United States of America, the Snider rifle was a great
posthumous success. Adopted by the British Army in September 1866, it
proved to be an ideal method of converting otherwise obsolescent muzzleloading rifle-muskets to handle self-contained cartridges. The weapons first
saw action during the highly successful Magdala Campaign of 1867–8, in
Abyssinia (now Ethiopia); and the last British Snider, a Yeomanry Carbine,
was not ‘sealed’ until 1900.
The guns had proved to be sturdy and reliable, the only real problem, the
breech flipping open as the gun fired, being corrected by the addition of a
latch in the side of the Mark III or ‘Bolted Action’ breech-block adopted in
January 1869. The Sniders found in Nepal are among the most interesting
of the indigenous products, providing unexpected surprises. This is partly
due to their quality—perhaps the best of the Eastern copies of European
weapons—but also to the incorporation of an unusual variety of locks.
Sniders reached Nepal surprisingly quickly for such an up-to-date design.
Correspondence from the British Resident in Kathmandu, Lt.-Col. Richard
Lawrence, reveals that, early in 1868, a selection of arms and equipment had
been ordered by Jang Bahadur, ‘Prime Minister and Commander-in-Chief
in Nipaul’. Two muzzle-loading 12-pounder rifled guns, and an 8½-inch
mortar with moulding- and core-making machinery, had been dispatched
on Star of Scotia, followed by ten ‘Military Sneider [sic] breech-loading rifles
(long) with Bayonets. Tin and deal cases…’ when the steamship Himalaya
sailed from London on 8th October 1867. These were all consigned to ‘the
Nipalese representative in Calcutta, Colonel Umreeth Singh Adhikaree,
care of Messrs. Mackenzie, Lyall & Co., on account of His Excellency the
Maharajah Sir Jung Bahadoor, G.C.B.’. The invoice reveals the intermediary
to have been James Kenyon, Principal of the English School in Kathmandu
and tutor to Bahadur’s children, ‘in account with Mr. C.W. Lancaster, 151,
New Bond Street, London, W.C.’
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A top view of the breech of
a British-made Snider found
in Nepal. This particular
gun, a two-band short rifle
with a lug on the barrel to
receive a sword bayonet,
was most probably
acquired by a British officer.
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T H E SN ID ER R IF L E
Though Charles Lancaster had been the source of the Sniders, there is no
evidence that they bore his marks; in another instance, Lancaster simply
bought-in revolvers for dispatch to Nepal. The rifles were apparently of
‘long’, or infantry type, presumably accompanied by P/53 socket bayonets
(though this cannot be confirmed). They would have had the original type
of breech mechanism, without the latch of the Mark III or ‘Bolted Action’
approved in January 1869.
The importation of modern military rifles allowed the Governor General
to voice his misgivings. ‘The Government of India controls the importation
of fire-arms, great and small,’ note surviving official records of the transaction,
‘and especially of rifled artillery and breach-loading [sic] Snider and other
rifles, [but] it cannot allow the extension of importations of this kind without
its sanction previously asked and obtained…’
The Resident in Kathmandu, Lt.-Col Richard Lawrence, replied that
although ‘the artificers of Nipal are skilful workmen, I very much doubt their
ability to make use of the various articles…’ A decade later, in August 1878,
the Acting Resident, Lt.-Col Empey, contradicted these views—the Sniders,
he said, ‘have been made [in Nepal]…since 1868, and though not a thoroughly
satisfactory weapon, several regiments are armed with them’.
There is no evidence that production had begun as early as Empey had
claimed, but there can be no doubt that several thousand Sniders had been
issued by 1878. A resident’s inspection of the Nakhhu manufactory in 1880,
which is likely to have been reported in detail, is still missing. However, it is
could confirm if Sniders were being made there at that time.
A visit to Nakhhu in June 1894, by Lt.-Col Henry Wylie, confirmed that
only the Nepalese type of Martini-Henry was in production; work on the
Sniders, therefore, had stopped prior to this date. Wylie observed that the
Nepalese army was armed with ‘some 4,000 locally manufactured MartiniHenry rifles besides some Sniders and Enfields, probably sufficient to place a
rifle of sorts in the hands of every regular sepoy’. As the strength of infantry
was reckoned to be 16,847 in 1891, with an additional 2576 artillerymen,
there must have been much larger quantities of Sniders and Enfields than
Nepalese-type Martini-Henry rifles: perhaps as many as 12,000–14,000. If
the scales of manufacture were proportional to the quantities of each rifle
retrieved in 2002–3, there could have been five thousand Sniders. By 1906,
however, Sniders no longer merited a mention even though the ‘antiquated
Enfield muzzle loaders’ were still being used for drill and parade purposes.
Excepting a few ex-British military guns and commercial-type Sniders,
with a variety of fittings (and occasionally displaying a trademark of an arrow
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transfixing ‘S’ vertically), only three types of gun are currently known to have
existed in Nepal: a half-stocked carbine obtained from Britain by way of an
agent; a short rifle; and the standard long or infantry rifle.
The ‘Lord Snider’ carbine, assumed to the oldest of the three, embodies
the original type of breech. Supplied by J.C. & A. LORD (on the lock and barrel)
of LONDON, BIRMINGHAM & BOMBAY (on the barrel only), it has Birmingham
proof marks. The maker cannot yet be confirmed, though a damaged mark
in the feed-way of the single gun examined in detail may read ‘G.T.’: probably
George Thompson, occupying a workshop in St Mary’s Row, Birmingham,
from 1860 until 1872. Census records reveal that Thompson was an old man,
nearing the end of his career, working in 1871 with the assistance of just one
apprentice.
This could explain why most of the major components of the Lord
Carbines seem to have been made by a single agency—the lock, for example,
does not seem to have been ‘bought in’—and why the quality of the decoration
Below: the breech of Lord Carbine no. ४७ or ‘47’, one of the consignment sent to Nepal
in the early 1870s. The underside of the breech-block is marked ‘XIII’, which is believed
to have been an assembler’s mark, and there is an imprecise ‘G.T.’ in the bottom of the
feedway. The lock is essentially similar to the Pattern 1853 introduced with the British
regulation Enfield rifle-musket, with a swivel between the tumbler and the spring-tip,
though the hammer is much more slender and the main spring is considerably smaller.
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T H E SN ID ER R IF L E
Above and below:
additional views of the
Lord Carbine, showing
the small back sight, the
construction of the lock,
and the distinctive finial
on the front tip of the
trigger-guard
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falls short of best practice. The half stock has chequering at the wrist and
on the horn-tipped fore-end. The barrel is held in the fore-end by a single
transverse wedge set in oval escutcheons, and a full-length under-rib runs
forward beneath the barrel to the muzzle. The rammer is iron, originally with
a button tip. Swivels lie beneath the barrel and the butt, and the trigger guard
has an elegant spur.
The lock, with a swivel between the tumbler and the main spring, is
decorated with a double chain-line border and has rosettes engraved around
the screw holes. The hammer has the customary double-line bordering on
the body, a small panel of floriated scrollwork on the side of the hammer nose,
Below: this may be the first Nepalese attempt to make a Snider, perhaps for the rifle
battalion on the basis of the Lord Carbines. It is suspected to date from the early/mid
1870s. Note the old-style action, without the locking bolt; the small back sight; the
decoration on the lock-plate (including chain-dot bordering and rosettes around the
screw heads); and the design of the sabre bayonet. The gun is number ९२, ‘92’.
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T H E SN ID ER R IF L E
The muzzle of Snider short rifle, no. ९२ ‘92’.
Note the design of the sabre bayonet.
and chequering on the spur to facilitate cocking. The minuscule tangent-leaf
back sight is graduated to 500 yards.
These carbines are about 39·5 inches long, with 21·6-inch five-groove
barrels, and weigh 6lb 8oz. The likeliest users were the king’s household
cavalry, replacing the Sharps carbines that had been made in Nepal in the
early 1860s. Acquisitions may have totalled 150–200.
The first Nepalese-made Sniders were apparently short rifles. A typical
example is 44·7 inches long, with a 26·5-inch three-groove barrel; it weighs
7lb 15oz. Possibly intended exclusively for the rifle battalion, they were
unquestionably influenced by the Lord Carbines: the engraving on the lock
and hammer, including rosettes around the screws, is typical of both. In
addition, the back sights are the same (though the Nepalese version lacks
graduations), and chequering appears on the stock wrists. Short rifles had
two bands, and relied on a variant of the Lord-type side lock. The trigger
guard differs from the later Nepalese Snider infantry rifle; like the tip of the
butt plate, it ends in a distinctive finial.
The guns accepted a comparatively crude copy of the British P/56 sabre
bayonet, with a yataghan or recurved blade measuring (on a typical example)
23·2 inches long, 1·25 inches broad, and 0·36 inches thick at the guard. The
blade was fullered, the grips were chequered wood, and a press-stud was used
to disengage an ‘L’-shape spring let into the right side of the hilt. A slot
in the back of the pommel slid over a thin saddle-like lug which had been
brazed to the barrel. The muzzle-ring diameter of this one particular bayonet
was found to be 0·835 and 0·845 inches, measurements being taken at 90
degrees to each other.
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Most of these short rifles had two bands held with screws instead of springs,
and the action relied on a spring-loaded detent in the back of the shoe to
keep the breech-block closed. The detent consists of a small spigot, propelled
by a short square-section spring held in the rear of the breech-shoe by a small
slot-head threaded plug. The gun subjected to detailed examination was
numbered ९२ or ‘92’ on the top edge of the breech-block lug and on the tang
behind the screw. Internal examination was prevented by a jammed breech.
Essentially similar guns have been reported with the later Bolted Action,
but whether they are conversions or simply made at a later date is not yet
known. Others (possibly smooth-bore) have fore-ends extending so close to
the muzzle that a bayonet fitting seems unlikely; these may have been issued
to the frontier police, mustering 400 men in 1891, but research is needed.
The Nepalese long rifles are generally similar to the British Mark III
‘Bolted Action’ pattern, though their bands are solid iron, retained with
Below: a P/1853-type lock taken from an early ‘year 35’ Snider. This was undoubtedly
made in Nepal. Note the ‘’ craftsman’s mark on the lock-plate, the bridle and the sear,
but also the absence of numbers from the individual components. The hammer is notably
slender (much like that of the Lord Carbine), though other batches had a shorter hammer
taking a more pronounced ‘S’ shape. The chequering on the hammer-comb is crude, and
there are many file marks on the inside of the lock-plate. The screws are also poorly cut.
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T H E SN ID ER R IF L E
Left: four of the
Sniders found in
Nepal.
The Lord Carbine
is shown far left,
with its distinctive
trigger guard.
Then comes a
typical Nepalese
Snider long rifle,
with a ‘Bolted
Action’ and an old
British ordnancemarked P/42 caplock.
Third is a Britishmade non
regulation short
rifle marked by
Lowe of Chester.
Last comes a
half-stock carbine
marked by Manton
‘of London and
Calcutta’. Both of
the English-made
guns accept sabre
bayonets of the
so-called ‘bar on
barrel’ form.
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Above: two views of ज ३४ or ‘year 34’ Snider no. ६॰८, ‘608’, with a ‘’ craftsman’s
or assembler’s mark on the lock-plate. Unlike the hammer shown in the previous
photograph, this particular component has a short shank with a pronounced ‘S’-shape.
The comb of the hammer has a small roll-over tip, but the chequering remains crude.
springs let into the right side of the fore-end, instead of the perfected splitbody design held by a recessed screw. They are typically 55 inches long, have
39·5-inch barrels, and weigh 9lb. The bore diameter of the gun selected at
random was measured as ·578, with three broad and comparatively shallow
grooves making a turn in 75–80 inches. Groove width was ·550–·565. The
back sight is marked in Nagari, but otherwise duplicates British design.
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T H E SN ID ER R IF L E
Experience has suggested that the long Sniders divide into two groups: one
numbered sequentially, and another numbered within a year defined in a mark
on the breech strap. This mark takes the form of the prefix ज ‘ja’ (apparently
for jal, ‘year’, ‘sal’ in modern Nepali) followed by the last two digits of the year
in the Bikram sambat (‘b.s.’, ‘Bikram calendar’). The range appears to be b.s.
[19]34–[19]43, equating to 1877/8–1886/7.
The very few guns retrieved from ‘year 34’ and ‘year 35’ batches are crude,
suggesting that efforts to make good-quality Sniders in large numbers did
not progress smoothly.
It has been suggested that the inefficiency of assembly in Pyuthan was
sufficiently obvious for a new factory to be constructed in Nakhhu in 1879–80.
Pyuthan and Jangi (near Kathmandu) are known to have made P/53 Enfields,
but their quality, even allowing for long and arduous service, is not very good.
The quality of the earliest Sniders is poor; but that of later guns is noticeably
better. However, a detailed analysis of all the ‘year date’ guns showed that,
assuming parts had not been mismatched, none bore the Nakhhu identifier
ण़ कु even though a selection of geometric marks—a double diamond, two
dots, a stylised arrowhead—showed that they had been subjected to an
inspection process of some kind. It is concluded, therefore, that all the ‘year
date’ Sniders were made (or at least assembled) in the same place. This is
currently assumed to have been Pyuthan and/or Jangi.
It is a pity that the 1880 report of the visit made to Nakhhu by the British
Resident has yet to be found. The visit may have been arranged simply
Below: a Nepalese Snider of the ‘year 42’ group, showing a perceptible improvement
in manufacturing standards compared with the ‘year 34’ gun shown in the previous
photographs. The quality of the best of the later guns falls little short of mid-nineteenth
century European practice. This particular rifle has a Nepalese-made P/1853 lock.
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because production of rifles had only just begun there, and the Resident was
keen to investigate what was being made. It is highly likely that only Sniders
were being assembled. But the question remains: ‘which group?’.
The ‘dated’ group of Sniders can include guns in which parts have
been mixed, but these have usually resulted from mismatching; it is clear,
therefore, that this group should be considered as entirely Nepalese-made.
The dates (e.g., ज ३६ for ‘year 36’) lie ahead of the breech-plug strap, to be read
looking from the right. Sequential numbers can appear on the butt plate, the
barrel bands, the underside of the barrel, the underside of the breech shoe,
the underside of the breech bolt, and the barrel-channel cut in the fore-end
of the stock. No four-digit number has been reported, and, in some years,
output may have been very small. This is particularly true of Year 36, as no
guns have yet been recorded with numbers exceeding ६६ or ‘66’.
Most of these Sniders have Nepalese-made copies of the British P/1853
lock, which was not only similar to those used in practically every other army
but also would not have been unfamiliar to an armourer of the seventeenth
century (apart, of course, from the substitution of a cap for the flint). The
locks comprised a base-plate on which the components were attached by
short slot-head screws. A large ‘V’-spring, placed horizontally, was retained
by a peg or stud on the lower arm engaging a hole in the lock-plate and by
the tip of the upper limb bearing against an undercut bolster. The lower
extremity of the spring was formed into claws to engage the swivel that
connected the spring with the tumbler.
Held in place by a retaining plate or ‘bridle’, the tumbler had half-cock
and full-cock notches or ‘bents’ cut into its lower surface to engage the sear,
pivoting on a screw, which was powered by a small ‘V’-spring held by a screw
and located by a tiny blade on the upper limb entering an equally minuscule
cut in the lock-plate. The tumbler passed through a hole cut in the lockplate, a square shank accepting a matching aperture cut in the foot of the
hammer. A small threaded screw held the hammer in the tumbler.
Though the lock-plate is rarely marked externally, the gun-number will
be found on the inside surface of the lock-plate ahead of the hammer, and on
the sear, the tumbler and the bridle. It is also usually found on the back surface
of the tip of the hammer, though inspection and sequential numbering were
clearly not regulated in detail: numbers do not always appear where they
should, and some breech bolts (for example) can bear nothing but engraved
lines.
More interesting than the ‘Year group’ rifles in many ways, the ‘Assembly
group’ contains an unexpectedly broad selection of British and Nepalese parts.
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T H E SN ID ER R IF L E
Above: this Nepalese Snider, no. �५२८, ‘1529’, has an old British military P/1842 lock
inspected in the Tower of London in 1844. The rfle was probably assembled in Nakhhu in
the early/mid 1880s.
Analysis of numbers shows clearly that the output of Nepalese-made Sniders
was scarcely enough to equip more than one infantry battalion annually; on
this basis, it would have taken many years to re-equip even the front-line
units. An obvious short-term answer to this particular problem would have
been to acquire surplus Snider actions, locks and accessories to allow assembly
of hydrid guns to begun in Nakhhu. Precisely where this was undertaken
in not clear—most probably in the early/mid-1880s—but the explanation
makes good sense. In addition, virtually all of the rifles available for detailed
inspection had the Nakhhu ण़ कु mark on their trigger-guard straps.
The Snider was obsolete in Britain, replaced by the Martini-Henry, and
was unpopular with sportsmen. Consequently, there were many sources of
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Above: the breech of Snider rifle no. �६�५, ‘1615’, assembled in Nakhhu in the 1880s from
a variety of parts, including, in this instance, an old British P/1842 lock made by Thomas
Frith and inspected in the Enfield Royal Small Arms Factory in 1848. Note the crowned
cypher of Queen Victoria on the lock-plate immediately behind the hammer.
spare or unwanted parts. Major gunmakers such as BSA&MCo. still had large
inventories in the mid 1870s, and many lesser gunmakers, originally inspired
by the panic-stricken acquisitions of guns by the French authorities during
the Franco-Prussian War of 1870–1, undoubtedly also had components to sell.
Even the Indian military authorities may have been willing to rid themselves
of surplus P/42, P/53 and ex-East India Company cap-locks. Unfortunately,
no confirmation has yet been retrieved from Indian or Nepalese archives and
a great leap of faith must be made.
The most interesting features are their locks, which offer unexpected
variety. The best are the old British P/42 examples, with a crown over ‘VR’
immediately behind the hammer, but most of the guns have P/1853-type
locks—some are undoubtedly Nepalese, but many others will prove to have
been made by the English ‘Trade’. A few of the English locks are marked,
but these seem to be exceptions to the rule.
The ravages of time often obscure the origins, particularly if the guns
have not been cleaned; however, the English locks, even those that have been
given Nagari numbers, usually exhibit far fewer files marks (particularly on
the lock-plate and the springs) and the shaping of minor components such
as the bridle and the tumbler is much crisper. English hammers are generally
more precisely forged and often of noticeably better material.
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T H E SN ID ER R IF L E
There is, however, rarely much distinction in the quality of the engraving:
the best of the Nepalese work is virtually on a par with English ‘Trade’ locks,
though there are many variations in the design of the panel on the side of
the hammer nose. The quality of the screws will usually confirm if a lock is
English or Nepalese. Though the screws were often hand-made, English
examples are usually accurately threaded and may even take square-thread or
buttress form on the hammer-screws; Nepalese screws can be poorly forged,
and are often shallowly and erratically cut…to the point where many only
just hold in place.
Below left: the detached P/42 lock of the rifle shown previously. Note how the tail of the
main spring presses directly on the nose of the tumbler.
Below right: a later Nepalese-made P/1853 lock, no. �२८, ‘128’, showing the improvements
in quality made as production progressed. This particular gun dates from ज ४� or ‘year 41’.
The inner surface of the lock-plate was once very nicely blued.
Bottom: Nepalese Snider no. ४५९, or ‘459’ of the ज ४० or ‘year 40’ group—certainly
unusual, possibly unique—has a replacement lock-plate lacking the customary double-line
bordering, though the minor parts are numbered in the usual way.
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Below: a composite view of an ex-British Snider found in Nepal. This gun has a Mark III
(Bolted) action, but is a ·656-calibre smooth-bore with a simple standing-notch back sight.
These guns were intended for police and native levies whose loyalty was questionable, but
it is believed that survivors were sold to Nepal in the late 1880s or early 1890s to arm the
frontier police force. Customarily known as Chhaladar (‘shotguns’) in Nepal, acknowledging
the lack of rifling, they were eventually replaced by a similar version of the Martini-Henry.
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Above: the breech of half-stocked Snider carbine shown on page 11, marked by Manton &
Co. of ‘London and Calcutta’ but apparently the work of Thomas Turner of Birmingham.
The crown applied to the lock-plate immediately behind the hammer has been added to
suggest official ownership, though it lacks true shape and ‘V R’ that would characterise
the cypher of Queen Victoria. There is little doubt that the Snider was sold commercially.
A survey of the characteristics of more than a hundred Nepalese Sniders
suggests that of those in the ‘assembly’ group, 45 per cent had English-made
P/53 locks, 25 per cent had obsolete British military P/42 locks, 20 per cent
had Nepalese-made copies of the P/53, and the remaining ten per cent had
British P/42 Trade locks, Nepalese P/42 copies or East India Company ‘long
spring locks’. Sequential numbers ran upwards from � (‘1’) to at least २४२२
(‘2422’). The numbers lie on the barrel tang, transversely behind the screw;
on the butt plate; and vertically on the nose band. A number also usually
appears inside the lock plate, assuming the lock is a Nepalese P/53-type copy.
The P/1842 lock, the predecessor of the P/1853, can be identified by the
short lock-plate and, internally, by the absence of a swivel between the spring
and the tumbler. The cypher of Queen Victoria, a crown over ‘VR’, usually
lies behind the hammer, with the date and place of manufacture or assembly
ahead of the hammer in the form TOWER or ENFIELD beneath a date in the
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Above: the perfected East India Company cap-lock, used on the ‘Pattern F’ muskets, was
similar to the British regulation P/53 type. However, the plate ahead of the hammer was
extended forward to accommodate a spring with longer limbs. Note also the sharpness
and precision with which the lion-and-crown mark has been rendered. Many supposed
‘EIC’ marks have been seen in which crudity of detail betrays doubtful origins!
period 1844–54. The true maker’s name may sometimes be found inside the
lock plate: e.g., J. DAVIS (on a Tower-marked lock dated 1847), ‘J.F.’ (Tower,
1846), ‘R.A.’ (Tower, 1854) or FRITH (Enfield, 1852). All the Sniders of this type
examined to date fell into the �५४�–�९९९ or ‘1541’–‘1999’ group.
In addition, an occasional ‘Trade’ (commercial) lock of P/42 type will
be found, distinguished by the soundness of the material, the quality of the
surface finish, the sharpness of edges, and the concentricity of screw heads
and side-nail cups. Gun no. �६३७ or ‘1637’ has a lock of this type marked
LACY & CO./LONDON, but the lock was probably made elsewhere in London
or Birmingham. Gun no. �९॰६, ‘1906’, has what seems to be a Nepalese-made
copy of the P/42 lock.
A lock of the type associated with the perfected East India Company
cap-lock musket was found on Snider no. �७५७ or ‘1757’. This has an unusually
long main spring, and the lock plate extends much farther forward of the
nipple than the regulation British P/42 or P/53 type. The lion-and-crown lies
3. They also display inspectors’ marks in the form of a small crowned letter representing the date
above a number identifying an individual inspector. The marks run from a crowned cursive ‘F’ for
1842/3, omitting ‘I’, ‘J’ and ‘O’, to a cursive ‘Q’, used from 1850/1 until 1856.
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on the lock plate ahead of the hammer and the inspector’s mark ‘L’ over ‘9’,
with ‘S.S’ and ‘H C’, will be found internally.[3]
Attempts to interchange components of the earliest Nepalese Sniders
often fail, usually because the position of the side-nails varies or the trigger
no longer engages the tail of the sear effectually, but later examples show
that the parts of the locks (especially those of the ‘assembly group’ or made
after ज ३८ or ‘year 38’) had been made sufficiently consistently to exchange
with only minimal additional work. It is arguable if this was due to the use
of templates or simply to skills—perhaps of a single lock-maker—learned
by experience. Locks in which pieces have been changed usually show one
sequential number on the lock-plate and another on the lesser components.
Several instances where the entire lock has been replaced with no apparent
loss of function have also been reported, but there is no way of telling how
much hand work had been done.
Below: Nepalese Sniders were stored in inappropriate conditions for a hundred years, and
their condition at first glance can look alarming (upper gun). However, with sympathetic
cleaning, they can emerge in surprisingly good shape (lower gun). The barrel can display a
pleasing figure, owing to twisted stub-iron construction, and some rifles—after surviving
proof!—have proved to shoot surprisingly well with light handloads.
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The metalwork of the Nepalese guns is not as good as the British versions;
the brass of the trigger guard, the butt plate and the nose cap is noticeably
more yellow than its British equivalent; and the stock of the dated guns is
almost always local hardwood instead of European walnut. Yet the locks very
rarely refuse to work after even a cursory cleaning.
Total output is difficult to assess, as it is impossible to establish how
many Sniders were made in each of the dated years. However, the survey
mentioned previously, if it can be regarded as even remotely trustworthy,
suggested that about 2500 ‘assembly’ guns served alongside in excess of four
thousand Nepalese ‘year group’ rifles.
There is no doubt that sequential numbers were reduced to � (‘1’) at
the commencement of most individual years (two guns numbered ‘1’ were
included in the survey), but there is doubt about the 1884/5–1886/7 period.
An analysis of the limited selection of ‘year 41’, ‘year 42’ and ‘year 43’ guns
included in the survey could be interpreted to suggest that they were all
numbered sequentially from �, ‘1’, to at least �३२७, ‘1327’. Research is needed
if this problem is to be resolved
Unit marks, when they are present, usually lie on the trigger-guard strap.
Examination of a batch of thirty Sniders revealed that virtually all of those
that had been marked—five were plain—served with the first rifle battalion
(usually marked रै फ on the rear trigger-guard strap), the second rifle battalion
(दाे र)ै , or three of the premier infantry battalions: Barda Bahadur (व व र or व द),
Kali Buksh (का वु) or Purano Gorakh (पु गा). Very few guns have been found
with more than one unit marking.
There were never enough Sniders to equip all the front-line infantrymen
of the Royal Nepalese army, and they seem to have been confined to less
than half of the regular establishment. Work on the project stopped in
favour of the Nepalese Martini-Henry, perhaps in Bikram 1943 (1886/7) or
1944 (1887/8), and the survivors were speedily recalled to store. There they
remained until purchased by Christian Cranmer of International Military
Antiques, Inc., and his partners in 2002.
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